“Well, hate to break it to you, champ…” His eyes narrowed. “But you’re not sleeping with me.”
“Oh, that.” He rose slowly to his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I already knew that. I’m pretty sure me and the floor are going to have a good time tonight. All that heavy breathing and grinding.”
“What the hell kind of night do you have planned for the floor? And in what universe is any of what you just said okay?”
Jake grinned. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out. You know you can always join me and the floor if your bed gets too soft.”
“I like things soft.”
His eyes twinkled. “Pity.”
“Jake Titus!” Char threw a pillow at his face.
Laughing, he walked toward the bathroom. “Hurry up, Char. We gotta freshen up for cocktail hour. By the way.” He turned on the faucet and pulled out a wash cloth. “Who the hell gave Grandma a whistle? That should be illegal in all fifty states.”
Char didn’t answer. Fascinated, she watched him get ready as he ran the cloth over his face. Droplets of water fell onto the sink. Feeling a bit heated, she took off her zip up sweater.
Damn Jake Titus for making eye drops look sexy as he tilted his head back and dropped them into his eyes. He blinked, once, twice, and then they were running down his chiseled cheeks.
“Stop watching, Char.” Jake called. “It was creepy ten minutes ago. Now I’m just concerned you’ve had a seizure or something.”
Flustered, Char almost tumbled from the bed as she stomped over to her bag and began digging through it for a sexy cocktail dress.
Two could play that game.
She didn’t just want to play—she wanted to win.
Chapter Thirty-two
“Jake?” Travis’s voice was muffled by the blood roaring in Jake’s ears. “Did you hear anything I just asked you?”
No, sorry, I was watching legs. Two of them to be exact, and those legs belonged to a beautiful brunette with striking blue eyes and such an electric smile that it hit a man dead center in the chest. “Sure, bachelor party. I’m in.”
“No strippers.” This from Kacey.
Jake nodded in agreement, still keeping his eyes trained in Char’s legs as she stood a few feet away from him talking to his mom.
Travis snapped his fingers in front of Jake’s face. “Get it together, man. If you don’t watch it, you’re going to start panting.”
Already there. “Sorry, just distracted.” He cleared his throat and turned to look at Travis and Kacey. Travis looked irritated, Kacey looked concerned. Oh great, he was going to get the talk again. To save time he beat her to the punch. “Kace, I’m fine. It was a rough night, bad choices, I’m better now, and I’m hitting the water, not the alcohol. Seriously, you’re not my mom.” That sounded harsher than he’d meant it to sound, which was proven when Travis took a step forward. But Kacey stopped Travis with her hand.
And then her eyes followed Jake’s as he stole another glance at Char.
With a growl she handed Travis her drink and pulled Jake by the ear outside. “OW, what the hell, Kace!”
“You slept with her!”
“What? Who?”
“Char!”
“Yes!” Her eyes grew twice their normal size. “No, I mean a long time ago, yes.”
Holy shit he was sweating.
Kacey released the hostage ear and crossed her arms. “How long?”
“A year or so.” He looked down at the ground. “It was a mistake.”
“You!” Kacey poked his chest as Jake tried to shush her. “You’re the one that she spent the night with before the whole YouTube clip.”
“Guilty.” In more than one way.
Scowling, Kacey shook her head. “I should have known. All signs pointed to a Titus.”
“All signs?”
“Yeah, drinking, debauchery, irresponsibility, TV…”
Jake held up his hand for her to stop. “Fine, I get it. But it’s not like I’ve done anything since, and you know it.” Damn her for calling him on his bullshit. When he’d got drunk at her engagement party she’d told him to shape up his life or die in a prostitute’s bed—no joke. It wasn’t as if he didn’t try to do right, it just seemed like every time he did, he got shit on. It was so much easier to go the other route, to be what people expected. Irresponsible and carefree. It seemed the minute he did try to act serious and be responsible—people asked if he was drunk. It was embarrassing and again made him want to flinch, to pull away, and fall back into old habits.
“You have that look,” Kacey said, interrupting his morose thoughts.
“Look, what look?” Jake tried to change his face but failed miserably when Char walked by the window.
“That look!” Kacey poked him in the chest again. “You’re falling for her!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
Jake wiped his face with his hand and cursed. “Can you please be an adult?”
“Says the guy who slept with two drunken twins last night.”
“I didn’t.” Jake coughed. “I couldn’t… I mean… I didn’t want to and I didn’t.”